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Ubuntu Forums user TheShiv likes to build his system from the ground up, and doesn't like a lot of software and services he'll never use. So he installs a core, bare-bones system from either the Ubuntu Server Edition CD or a Minimal CD, then, when he gets access to a command prompt and he's wired to the internet (presumably through a LAN cable, though perhaps wireless works as well), he uses two or three commands to install enough features to get a working desktop, but very little that won't be used day to day.

TheShiv frames his installation as a script you can copy, save, and run, but users could also just copy the sudo apt-get -y install commands he has listed at the link below. It's been linked to by a few approving Ubuntu heads, and seems like a pretty good way to get a lower-memory, but still GNOME-based, Ubuntu-based system running. Got another/better installation script to point us to? Pass the link along in the comments.